z10 Ninebot One Z10 wobbling at higher speed

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

Hello from germany,

 

my Z10 arrived some days ago. I've tried multiple times to ride it on a flat road (bicycle path).

At about 15 km/h (~10 mph) it starts to wobble a lot. Accelerating to about 20 - 25 km/h (~12 - ~15 mph) the wobbling is so strong that it's not possible to handle it any more. I wasn't able to break properly, so I felt forward onto the street (protectors rescued my reight arm and leg).

My weight (including gear) is about 85kg (~190 lbm). I tried different tire pressures, first about 1,4 bar (~20 psi), after that I tried 2,2 bar (~32 psi). Both tire pressure values resulted in the same bad behavior (wobbling).

Perhaps my EUC is defect, do I have to send it back to repair or to get my money back? I've searched for help on the internet, specially on this forum, watched many videos on YouTube, but nothing really helps.

Any suggestion? Thank you very much!

 

Best regards

Thor

Edited April 19, 2019 by Thor
name

[Chriull]

Welcome @Hex,

There was just a topic of a KS18 with a "motor/rim wobble"

 

to compare with your wheel.

There were also many ocassions reported were the (rubber) tire sits badly on the rim and can be reseated nicely. But i have no idea if this could be true with tubeless tires, too? One will see once you checked the wheels alignment.

Tire pressure was reported to be quite important for riding the Z10 - you seem to tried adjusting it already...

Others points often discussed at wobble reports is the stance - maybe standing a bit more in front or back of the pedals could help. Or just your muscles and/or "muscle memory" have to adopt to the new Z10? Shall be very diffrrent to ride comparedto other wheels?

[meepmeepmayer]

I believe you mean sideways wobble aka "death wobble". This is purely due to the rider, it goes away with experience and you being more relaxed.

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aelectricunicycle.org+wobble

[houseofjob]

Wobbles are the rider, not the wheel.

Any wheel wobbles, immediately start to favor weight on one leg over the other, as if you were about to mount or do a one-legged trick (usually the outside turn leg).

Also, narrow stance will make things worse. Get your feet wider and away from the Z shell, especially your heels particularly in the case of the Z.

[Smoother]

If you want to rule out the wheel from the problem, do what is shown in the video of the thread @Chriull linked, above.

Is this your first wheel? Are you a new rider?  If so, then your body hasn't learned how to ride yet.  Once it gets in your muscle memory most strange behavior goes away.  But, rule out the wheel first.

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

Yes, I'm a new rider.

Thank you very much for all the hints and tips! I'll check the wheel and keep trying with other/wider foot positions.

My height ist about 194 cm (~ 76 inch), perhaps it's not an advantage in general riding EUCs.

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

Today was a very successful ride. Going uphill about ~500 m (~1600 feet) in a forest without stopping! :D

The wobbling at higher speed is still there, but becomes less => getting better using other leg positioning.

Since now there is no learning test ride without little accidents for my legs and for the Z10. I think I've to reduce the tire pressure again to about 1,7 bar (25 psi).

I've ordered an additional wheel, the IPS i5 (245Wh), to practice with it, too. Perhaps I'll commute with it from home to work [home (~2km) -> train -> work (~1km)].

Thank you very much for your recommendations.

[Smoother]

18 hours ago, Hex said:

I've ordered an additional wheel, the IPS i5 (245Wh), to practice with it, too. Perhaps I'll commute with it from home to work [home (~2km) -> train -> work (~1km)].

Thank you very much for your recommendations.

I'm not sure that was a good idea.  People seem to think IPS has stopped making wheels, and Ian at Speedyfeet had 5 i5s and only one or 2 worked.  I don't think he could get parts to fix them.  

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

3 hours ago, Smoother said:

I'm not sure that was a good idea.  People seem to think IPS has stopped making wheels, and Ian at Speedyfeet had 5 i5s and only one or 2 worked.  I don't think he could get parts to fix them.  

Thanks for your recommondations. We'll see if the IPS i5 works in a few days!

Happy easter to all EUC riders!

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

You were right! Reading even more about EUCs finally I've canceled the IPS i5 order.

[Smoother]

9 hours ago, Thor said:

You were right! Reading even more about EUCs finally I've canceled the IPS i5 order.

You're welcome.

[Ch.Eng.62]

9 hours ago, Thor said:

You were right! Reading even more about EUCs finally I've canceled the IPS i5 order.

Take Mten3. It is a great wheel. Not as Z10, but very good for practicing, or for commuting at low speed. 

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

On 4/17/2019 at 8:02 PM, Thor said:

... Perhaps my EUC is defect, do I have to send it back to repair or to get my money back?...

Today my seller (from switzerland) has contacted me via telephone. After a very friendly talk about the behavior, I'll send (via pick-up service) my Z10 back to 1RadWerkstatt.de tomorrow. They'll check the wheel for possible errors (wobbling at higher speed).

[Mykhailo]

On 4/18/2019 at 4:36 PM, Thor said:

I think I've to reduce the tire pressure again to about 1,7 bar

My height is 1,82 and my weight is 90 kg. After several test I concluded that the optimal tyre pressure for me is 2.3 bar. I had issues with wobbling as well till I made 300-400 km. I noticed that the wheel tended to wobble more when I had bent knees. And I just needed to straighten my legs to stop it. But with experience and adjustment of pressure the issue is not disturbing me anymore. When I quickly lift the wheel to get it spinning, I see that the wheel is far from perfect as there is an play of couple mm,  which I thought was the reason of wobbles.  But the real reason was just my inexperienced legs :))

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

1 hour ago, Mykhailo said:

My height is 1,82 and my weight is 90 kg. After several test I concluded that the optimal tyre pressure for me is 2.3 bar. I had issues with wobbling as well till I made 300-400 km. I noticed that the wheel tended to wobble more when I had bent knees. And I just needed to straighten my legs to stop it. But with experience and adjustment of pressure the issue is not disturbing me anymore. When I quickly lift the wheel to get it spinning, I see that the wheel is far from perfect as there is an play of couple mm,  which I thought was the reason of wobbles.  But the real reason was just my inexperienced legs :))

Thanks for your information. My Z10 is on it's way to the service. Hopefully they find out that everything is alright with the wheel. In that case I should be absolutely sure about the full correct funtionality. And of course about my inexperienced legs riding the Z10.

Hopefully they don't have to send it back to the manufacturer, because they don't have an instand replacement Z10 in stock.

[mrelwood]

I’m 193cm tall and weigh 94kg. That is probably why I like larger wheels in general. But other than that our height doesn’t give us any issues while riding.

What is common for beginners is to stand too far back on the pedals. This prevents riding with relaxed legs, which will cause wobbles. A good starting point is to level the back of your shoe with the back of the pedals.

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

On 4/24/2019 at 9:21 PM, Thor said:

Thanks for your information. My Z10 is on it's way to the service. Hopefully they find out that everything is alright with the wheel. In that case I should be absolutely sure about the full correct funtionality. And of course about my inexperienced legs riding the Z10.

Hopefully they don't have to send it back to the manufacturer, because they don't have an instand replacement Z10 in stock.

My Z10 is on its way back to my location.  Everything is alright with the wheel, 1RadWerkstatt.de has double checked it! Great service, they're very friendly! 

 

On 4/24/2019 at 9:43 PM, mrelwood said:

I’m 193cm tall and weigh 94kg. That is probably why I like larger wheels in general. But other than that our height doesn’t give us any issues while riding.

What is common for beginners is to stand too far back on the pedals. This prevents riding with relaxed legs, which will cause wobbles. A good starting point is to level the back of your shoe with the back of the pedals.

Thanks for the hints and tips! I'll try next weekend, when my Z10 is back from service.

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

 

 

[mrelwood]

I suppose that is not you riding at 40km/h without gloves or other protection, to see if the wobbles would throw you off like they did at 25km/h? 

I was about to comment on the new kind of confidence until I realized it must be the workshop making those test videos, am I right?

[Planemo]

Check the balls of the testers feet Thor - they are virtually on the edge of the front of the footplate. It seems unnatural how far forward the feet need to be (well it did to me anyway!)

I am still getting to grips with my Z6, but I have had it to 17mph (27kmh) without wobbles. I still get them sometimes under full acceleration/breaking and I know this is nothing other than my lack of skill, having seen numerous other riders absolutely scream Zeds around like they are toys. We will get there my friend!

PS I am about 90kg and have size 10 feet. I tend to stand as per the tester. I run 25psi - I found anything more gave a really hard ride, anything less and it tramlined even more than it does now. A shame, as it was super comfy at 10psi but my skills aren't up to dealing with the tramlining. Chooch rode at around 10psi and he was super fast, he had clearly mastered the tramline issue.

[Asphalt-Cowboy]

On 5/2/2019 at 6:31 AM, mrelwood said:

I suppose that is not you riding at 40km/h without gloves or other protection, to see if the wobbles would throw you off like they did at 25km/h? 

I was about to comment on the new kind of confidence until I realized it must be the workshop making those test videos, am I right?

Yes, you're right. Personally I always wear full protection! Thanks to the tester for the friendly discussions and the review in the workshop. Very good customer service, want to communicate this behavior here. If you look for a good shop with service in germany, go for 1RadWerkstatt.de. 

On 5/2/2019 at 7:28 AM, Planemo said:

Check the balls of the testers feet Thor - they are virtually on the edge of the front of the footplate. It seems unnatural how far forward the feet need to be (well it did to me anyway!)

I am still getting to grips with my Z6, but I have had it to 17mph (27kmh) without wobbles. I still get them sometimes under full acceleration/breaking and I know this is nothing other than my lack of skill, having seen numerous other riders absolutely scream Zeds around like they are toys. We will get there my friend!

PS I am about 90kg and have size 10 feet. I tend to stand as per the tester. I run 25psi - I found anything more gave a really hard ride, anything less and it tramlined even more than it does now. A shame, as it was super comfy at 10psi but my skills aren't up to dealing with the tramlining. Chooch rode at around 10psi and he was super fast, he had clearly mastered the tramline issue.

My Z10 has arrived, now I'll try all the hints and tips. Thank you!

[Atharif]

Is normal, you only need more Km.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Atharif